D-Fenders Take Down Utah in a Flash

D-Fenders 109, Flash 92

EL SEGUNDO, CA, Nov. 25 – The Los Angeles D-Fenders opened their 2007-08 season with an impressive 109-92 victory over the Utah Flash at STAPLESCenter on Sunday afternoon.

Los Angeles jumped out to an early lead and never looked back as D-Fenders guard Devin Green scored 13 of his 20 points in the first quarter with the D-Fenders taking a 33-17 lead.  The D-Fenders had the hot hand as they shot an outstanding 57 percent from the field and were a perfect 21-21 from the foul line.

“It was a great win. Our guys played good defense and we got our fastbreak going,” said D-Fenders Head Coach Dan Panaggio.  “Our offense at times looked pretty good too.”

Los Angeles was led in scoring by Green and forward Sean Banks, each tallying 20 points.  Green did his damage on 7-11 shooting from the field, while Banks dished out a game high eight assists.  Brian Chase contributed an all-around game with 17 points, six assists and five rebounds.

Utah was led by their NBA assigned players: Utah Jazz center Kyrylo Fesenko had 21 points and nine rebounds, while Flash forward Brandon Wallace (Boston Celtics) added 11 rebounds and two steals.  The Flash fell behind by 32 points in the fourth quarter as they committed 27 turnovers and only shot 18% from beyond the arc in the contest.

“There is no doubt that Los Angeles came out with energy and that is what you are supposed to do as a professional team.  We didn’t come out with energy and they really gave us a lesson,” said Utah Head Coach Brad Jones.

The D-Fenders will host the Idaho Stampede on Tuesday at the STAPLESCenter with a 3:30 p.m. tip off.  Having a Lakers ticket for a STAPLESCenter home game is also your ticket to a lower level seat for the D-Fenders game that same day.  For ticket information call (310) 426-6031.  Utah will head home to face-off with the Dakota Wizards for the franchise’s first home game on Tuesday night.

The NBA Development League is the NBA's official minor league, and the first-ever basketball league with direct affiliations to NBA teams.  Now in its seventh season the D-League’s goals are to provide affordable, NBA-caliber entertainment to fans of its 14 teams, as well as continue to develop players, coaches, referees and front-office personnel for the NBA.  As the single source for in-season player "call-ups" to the NBA, fans of the D-League enjoy the highest caliber of basketball played outside the NBA.  In fact, former D-League players represented 10 percent of NBA players on 2007-08 opening day rosters, numbering 44 in total.  In addition, the D-League has produced 25 percent of current NBA referees and 16 current NBA coaches, including head coach Sam Vincent with the Charlotte Bobcats.  The D-League is an innovative and rapidly growing sports property that also serves as an experimental testing ground for new initiatives of the NBA and its teams, provides continuing education and professional development resources for its players, and is committed to serving its local communities through D-LEAGUE CARES and grassroots efforts.  For additional information about the D-Fenders please visit www.d-fenders.com and for more information about the NBA Development League visit www.d-league.com